inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Ruth 1:10)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Naomi.

Ruth 1 in oral adaptation in Fang

Following is a back-translation of Ruth 1 from a song presented in the traditional Fang troubadour style (mvét oyeng) as part of a project by Bethany and Andrew Case. (For more information about this, see Case / Case 2019)

Verse 1 – It happened that, in the time of the chiefs, they were governing Israel, and hunger came there to the regions of those lands.

2 – It came about that a man of the town that they call Bethlehem, the clans of the lands of Ephrata, they called him Elimelek.

Then he moved from there, he moved, saying, “I will try to go and live in the regions of the lands of Moab.”

When he went there, he went with [his] wife, [his] wife Naomi, and his two sons, his grown sons.

One was named Mahlon, and the other was Kilion.

All those were people of Ephrata.

After they arrived in Moab there, then they lived there, living.

3 – It came about that Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and Naomi was left a widow. (Click or tap here to see the rest.

4/5 – Left like that, [with] only just one thing her two sons, when they were left, then these two sons also married two girls, young Moabite women.

One of them was named Orpah, and the other was named Ruth.

And it came about that after ten years passed, ten years, then these two sons of hers also died there, beginning with Malon and Kilion.

Then Naomi was left only all alone [lit. point and point: a bird’s beak from which its worm has fallen] with nothing.

6 – Then it came about that Naomi, living in Moab [unclear].

There she found out that Yahweh had had compassion on her town’s/people’s pain, the famine had ended, ending.

7 – Then Naomi said there that, “right now, I’m going back to Judah.”

When she was returning, then she went together with her two daughter-in-laws.

They left the place where they were and at that time they went.

8 – When they were walking on the road, then she said to them, “Oh my daughters-in-law, go back to your houses, to the houses of your mothers, please go back.”

9 – “I ask Yahweh that he treat you well at all times just like you also treated me and my sons.”

“I continually repeatedly again and again ask that Yahweh give you a place that is just and solid/secure, that he give you homes and also give you new husbands.”

Then Naomi kissed them on the cheeks, a goodbye kiss.

10 – Then the girls wept and they said “We will not go back, oh Naomi, we will go with you to your land.”

11 – Then Naomi insisted again, and said to them, “O my daughters, please go back.”

“Do you really wish to return with me, to go and do what?”

I can no longer again have other children for them to again marry you, please go back to your homes.

12 – I am too old, I cannot again go into marriage.

Even if I did also go into it, and bear two sons this night, oh my daughters, would you begin to wait again for these sons, for them to be your husbands?

13 – In this time you are without husbands, and for how long?

No no, oh my daughters, my evil is too great, and surpasses yours [lit. my evil it exaggerates with bigness to pass this with yours].

The hand of Yahweh has struck me, striking.”

14 – Then they opened their mouths (wept), they were crying.

After they finished crying, then Orpha afterward went to kiss [her] mother-in-law, kissing goodbye.

Then Ruth, she insisted to her that she would not go.

15 – Then Naomi said to her, “Look, the other has gone to her people.

Go youuuu too with her to the place where your gods are, go with her.”

Ñeŋǃ

16 – Then Ruth answered her, “Don’t you ask me that I separate from you.

Don’t you ask me that I separate from you.”

Because the place where you go, to it also I will go.

The place where you’re going to live, there also I am going to live.

Your people this also will be my people.

Your god this too will be my god.

17 – The place where you will die, in this also I will die, I tell you truly (lit. truth and truth).

I say that may Yahweh strike me, may he punish me severely (lit. [punish me with real punishment]) if I separate from you except only that death do it.”

18 – Then it happened that, when Naomi saw that Ruth insisted [with] real insistence [firmness], she didn’t insist anymore, then she said, “Let’s go”.

They began to walk, they’re going, they’re going.

19 – When it happened that they have already entered Bethlehem, that they have already arrived.

Then there in the town people began going and looking, [saying], “wow, but who is this?

Who is this?

Is it not Naomi who’s coming over there?

Yes, wow, it is Naomi.

Aáaáaáa

Aaáǃ

20 – After Naomi knew that she was the one they were talking about, then she said, “Don’t call me again Naomi.

Naomi means I have a glad heart, I am well.

And now that I’m here, please call me Mara because God Almighty has given me bitter and bitter, bitter and bitter, this has filled my body.

21 – When I left here to go, I left here [with] my hands full.

When I was returning now, I was coming [with] my hands now emptied, because thus Yahweh has wanted it, so why do you again call me Naomi?

When Yahweh, he who is all-powerful has lowered me to the ground, this kind of punishment that I have here.”

22 – In that way, Naomi returned to Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth, she who is a young Moabite woman.

In that way, they arrived in Bethlehem, finding that the time of harvesting food had arrived.

complete verse (Ruth 1:8 - 1:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 1:8-1:14:

  • Noongar: “But Naomi said to the two women, ‘You two, return to the houses of your mothers. May God bless you as you have blessed me and your dead husbands. May God bless and give you safety in the houses of your new husbands.’ She kissed them and they wept. They both said to her, ‘No, we will go with you to your people’. But Naomi said, ‘Go back to your homes, my daughters. Why will you come with me? I can have other sons in my womb, can I? They can become your husband, can they? Return, my daughters. I am an old woman. I am too old to marry another man. If I married today, and bore sons, you would wait for them to grow up, would you? And will you not marry other men? No, my daughters. This is more bitter for me, much more than for you, because the hand of God is hurting me.’ So they wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “While they were beginning to go on the way there, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law: ‘Now you go back to your original homes. I will pray to God to give you blessings, because you have loved me and you have loved your deceased husbands. Surely God will give you both to live in peace and have new husbands and families.’ When she had finished saying that, Naomi kissed her two daughters-in-law. Then they all cried together. But the two daughters-in-law said: ‘Not that, Mother! We want to go together with you, and go to your family.’ But Naomi answered them: ‘Why do you want to follow me? Do you think I can have other sons who could become your husbands? So, daughters-in-law, you both go back to your original families, because I am already old. I can not have another husband. If I had a husband this afternoon, and if I could bear more sons, do you want to wait for those sons to become adults? Could you wait that long? And would you not seek other husbands until my children were big enough for you to take them as your husbands? No, daughters-in-law. In my heart I feel sad for you, because God has done this to me.’ After that they wept together again. And Orpha kissed her mother-in-law and left her. But Ruth did not leave her mother-in-law.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “’And may the LORD grant that you(pl) could-marry again so-that you(pl) could-settle in your(pl) new home.’ Then Noemi kissed them. They wept aloud and said to Noemi, ‘We(excl) will-go with you(sg) when you(sg) return to your(sg) fellow-countrymen.’ But Noemi said, ‘You(pl) return-home to your-(own place), children. Why would- you(pl) still -come-with me? Do- you(pl) -think I can-marry again and can-give-birth to males whom you(pl) could-marry? That would/could- not -happen because I am old now. But for instance I could-marry tonight and some-time-later can- still -give-birth, then-what, are you(pl) going-to-wait until they had-grown-up? You(pl) would not marry yet just because of them? (It is) not possible, children. The truth (is), my life is more bitter than yours(pl), because the LORD causes- me -to-suffer.’ They wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went-back-home,b but Ruth on-the-other-hand remained with Noemi.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then as the three of them were walking, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Each of you should turn around and go back to your mother’s home. You treated your husbands kindly before they died, and you have treated me kindly. Now I desire that Yahweh will enable each of you to have another husband in whose home you will feel secure.’ Then she kissed both of them, and they cried aloud. They each said, ‘No, we want to go with you as you return to your relatives.’ But Naomi said, ‘No, my daughters, return home. [It will not do any good for you to come with me!/What good will it do for you to come with me?] Do you think I will get married again and have more sons who could become your husbands? Even if I thought I could have another husband, and even if I got married today and became pregnant tonight and later gave birth to sons, would you remain single/unmarried until they grew up and became old enough for you to marry? No, my daughters, you would not do that. Your situations are bad because your husbands have died, but it is possible that you will each marry again. My situation is much worse, because Yahweh has opposed me, and now I am too old to get married again.’ Then Ruth and Orpah cried again because of what Naomi said. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, and left, but Ruth clung to Naomi.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ruth 1:9 - 1:10

The phrase make it possible (Hebrew: “give”) may be rendered in a number of languages as a causative: “may the LORD cause you to marry again” or “may the LORD give you other husbands.” Hebrew has literally: “The LORD give you that you may find a restingplace, each of you in the house of her husband.” The syndetic combination of syntactically different clauses (see Joüon, par. 177) in verse 9a already created difficulties for early translators. In a number of Greek and Syriac manuscripts, chesed has been added to lakem in order to get an easier syntactic construction. The Syriac reading “in the house of your fathers” may have been found ad hoc for the same reasons.

The Hebrew word here rendered home literally means “resting place.” Elsewhere in the Old Testament it is employed as a reference to the promised land (Deut 12.9; 1 Kgs 8.56; Psa 95.11) and to Zion as the place where Yahweh dwells (Psa 132.8, 14). In this context the translation home is particularly appropriate, since the Hebrew word carries the meanings of peace and happiness as well as of security, all of which are regarded as the result of marriage (cf. 3.1). It is not enough to translate “have a house,” since widows could possess houses. What is referred to here is a home with a husband. The equivalent in some languages is “to live in a house with your husband.”

In some languages it is quite improper to translate Naomi kissed them, for kissing is regarded only as an expression of sexual interest or involvement. Under such circumstances one must use some such expression as “to embrace,” “to place one’s arms around,” or “to hold tenderly.”

Even when one can refer to kissing, it is sometimes necessary to mark the kissing as an expression of parting, Naomi kissed them good-bye, and to introduce a verb of speaking before the term good-bye; for example, “So Naomi kissed them and said good-bye to them.” In some languages the term for good-bye is quite idiomatic: “I leave my heart with you” or “until we see each other again.” But in other languages the expression for good-bye is quite matter of fact; for example, “Now I am leaving.”

They started crying is literally in Hebrew “they lifted up their voices and wept.” The idiom “to lift up the voice” can rarely be translated literally, and the combined expression in Hebrew simply means loud sobbing. See Brown-Driver-Briggs, s.v. nasaʾ.

It may be necessary to indicate in some languages that they in the last clause in verse 9 refers to the daughters-in-law, since it could presumably be a reference to Naomi as well as to her daughters-in-law, because of the deep emotional attachment. However, the beginning of verse 10 makes it quite clear that it is only the daughters-in-law who began to weep.

The translation of the negative No, which may be considered explicit in the Hebrew text, Brockelmann (k Syntax, par. 134a) and Campbell accept that both ki and loʾ ki can be used as a negation. is particularly difficult in some languages, for it might imply that they did not wish to receive the blessing which Naomi had given to them. That, of course, is not the meaning; and it may be necessary to expand the negative to read “Do not say good-bye to us” or “We do not wish to leave you.”

The Hebrew text literally has “return” in the second clause of verse 10, but since the daughters-in-law did not really “return” to Judah (in the sense that they had been there before), it is better to employ some such expression as in Good News Translation, We will go with you.

In some languages to your people may be rendered most effectively as “to your tribe” or even “to your clan.”

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 1:10

1:10

and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”: In this verse, Orpah and Ruth told Naomi that they intended to accompany her as she returned to Bethlehem.

Here are some ways to indicate the connection of this clause to the previous clause. Any of these options is acceptable:

• Indicate that this clause talks about the next action in the story. For example:

and said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

• Indicate that Orpah and Ruth’s desire to stay with Naomi contrasts with Naomi’s intention to leave them. For example:

But they said to her, “No! We will return with you to your people.” (NET Bible)

• Leave implied the connection of this clause to the previous clause. For example:

They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Surely we will return: This phrase indicates that the daughters-in-law intend to accompany Naomi on her return to her people. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Surely indicates that they objected to leaving Naomi.

Here are two ways to translate this conjunction:

• Make the meaning of the conjunction explicit. For example:

“No,” they said, “We want to go with you (New Living Translation (2004))

• Leave the meaning of the conjunction implied. For example:

“We are going back with you (God’s Word)

The word return may cause confusion here. Only Naomi would actually be returning to Judah, since Orpah and Ruth had not been there before. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this verse part differently. For example:

• Leave the word return implied. For example:

We want to go with you (Contemporary English Version)

• Translate in a way that the word return refers only to Naomi. For example:

“We will accompany you on your return

to your people: In Hebrew, the word people is very general. It could refer to Naomi’s relatives or to all the people of Israel. If your language has a word or phrase that refers to relatives, including distant relatives, you may want to use it here. For example:

to your clan
-or-
to your tribe

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